Yu-Gi-Oh: The Luster of Humanity
by Flextapeafficionado
Summary: May and Drake are just your average kids who want to be the best at the biggest card game on the planet. However, when entering a massive tournament held by Kaiba Corp. They soon realize that both of them had a destiny to fulfill, and not one of them was to save the world.
1. My First Deck

**Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Location: Unknown**

A small gathering of people surrounded a round table. Two crossed swords laid atop The table. Four candles illuminated the altar-like setting. The four people wore dark colored armored underneath black robes.

"Ah, the time is near." A sweet, sultry voice began.

"The Kaila Corp. Championship is coming up. It would make a good sift for candidates." Another said. A rough voice. Likely male.

"We cannot wait anymore. We should begin the ceremony right away." The third had a booking voice that echoed through the chamber.

"Patience." The fourth, the voice of an old man. "The ceremony is swift. We must take our time in finding the perfect vessel."

"But-"

"Marcus!"

"Why must we delay any longer?"

"Because if we pick the wrong vessel, we would have wasted the ceremony and it's elements! We cannot afford to waste these precious artifacts for a half-baked plan."

The old man and Marcus stared heatedly at each other through their veils.

"Marcus," the female put her hand on Marcus's shoulder. "Why must we fight amongst ourselves? We are the only illuminated ones in this world. Humanity must be made anew."

The knight called Marcus sighed and surrendered.

"Ok, fine. We'll wait. But I'd rather do something than just sit around here."

"Then why not scout potential candidates? After all, we have connections within Kaiba Corp."

 **Location: Covex Town**

"Merry Christmas, May!"

The Helenst household was a modest house. Stone floors, wooden roof. The entire house was only one room, and the family usually slept together on the floor, which was covered by a small sheet that kept the cold off of their backs.

Today, however, the majority of the floor was occupied by a tree that didn't nearly look like a Christmas tree, but it served such purpose. Under the tree was one, lone present.

The young lady was 11 years of age. Her short black hair was in a mess, but a quick shake settled it down. She woke up with her parents in rare occasion clothes while she was still in her dirty white dress. She smiled at them, and her parents smiled back, the brightness of the inside of this house rivaled the brightness of the sun that shone outside.

"Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad!"

"Here you go, your Christmas present!" Her mom said as she was handed the decorated box.

She held it in her hand and felt the weight of it. She knew it wasn't easy getting her a present. She looked at it for a long while.

"Well? Open it." Her father said.

She slowly tore the wrapping, revealing a wooden box. When she lifted the lid, her face was overtaken by a large smile.

"Cards!"

The first card she picked up was Mystical Elf. She noticed that the card had small smudges on the top right, but she didn't mind. She was way too happy to care. She rummaged through the deck, finding Monster Cards, then Spell Cards, then Trap Cards, she had a complete and playable deck. She put it back in the box. She embraced both of her parents in glee.

"Thank you!"

"You are very welcome."

"We owe you this much considering we skipped out on your birthday this year."

Her mother then looked her in the eyes.

"Oh, that Deck is from Dad. Here's mine."

She reached under her sheet and pulled a moderately rusted Duel Disk.

"Now go out there and play."

May took the Duel Disk and nodded. She stood up and almost tripped running towards the door.

Lots of children were playing outside in this discrete part of town. They were a good distance away from any major city, and the closest, Domino City, was over 70 miles away. That said, even this remote town, the new card game Duel Monsters was a big hit. Most of the children had their own decks and their own duel disks, and those who didn't were the outcasts of the playground, but even the most unfortunate kid had at least one card they pulled out of the junkyard.

May met with her friend Drake Hamil, who had his duel disk strapped on his left arm. The young man was the same age as her, black hair, and a bit of a goofball as they called him. He was wearing a generic shirt with a Blue Eyes White Dragon print. He was a bit taller than May's 4'6", so he mostly looked down when talking to her.

He took one look at the contraption his friend was holding. It was quite a sad sight to see, comparing it to his slightly used but still in good condition, to her rusted one.

"Where'd you get the new cards?"

She showed him the whole deck. "My Christmas present."

He decided to let it go, and instead, he lifted his duel disk and set his own deck in. It wasn't nice to insult something that came from her parents. They were poorer than him, but he knew that doesn't make him better.

"Well, then. Wanna duel, May?"

May mimicked the motion and set her deck in.

"Of course. I'm glad my first duel is with you."

The duel disks' hologram generators set themselves to form the stage of the girl's first duel. The decks were shuffled and the battle was set.

"Duel"

Life Point Count:

 _May: 4000_

 _Drake: 4000_

 **Turn 1 and 2**

"My turn!" Drake announced. "Draw!"

"I summon Ancient Brain in attack mode!"

The old, wise sage appeared in the field. The duel started to attract a number of other kids from the playground. Drake grinned at May.

"I set a card face-down. Turn end!"

May drew from her deck. "Draw!"

"I set a monster face down and set two cards. I end my turn!"

 **Turn 3 and 4**

"Not attacking?" Drake asked.

"Not yet. I've seen enough T.V. duels to know attacking isn't always the best move."

"Ok then. My turn, draw!"

"I summon Tainted Wisdom in attack mode!"

The brain monster showed itself on the field.

"Tainted Wisdom, attack her set monster! Forbidden Knowledge!"

The monster attacked the set monster, making May smile.

"Haha! Defend, Mystical Elf!"

"What?!" Drake's eyes widened. "A high defense monster?"

"Yep, and and I activate my Trap card, Solemn Wishes! When I draw a card, I gain life points. Now take your recoil."

Mystical Elf generates a strong barrier of light that repels Tainted Wisdom away.

"Ugh! Wow, the first damage goes to you. I end my turn." Drake laughed. His heart pounding for some reason.

May could feel her heart pounding as well, but she very well knew that the pounding is from excitement. The children outside also cheer.

"My turn, draw! Solemn Wishes gives me 500 life points."

Water lightly sprays towards her.

"I summon Maha Vailo in attack position!"

The strange sorceress appears on May's field.

"I equip Horn of Light to Maha Vailo. Her Defense increases by four hundred. Not only that but she also gains five hundred attack for each card equipped to her."

Maha Vailo emanates a blue aura as her stats increase.

"Two-thousand fifty attack?! Wait, how are you so good at this?'

"I'm not. I just read the card text. I'm going off a limb here."

"It just means you're bad!" A child from outside shouts, making everyone except Drake laugh.

"Maha Vailo attack Tainted Wisdom!"

The blue spellcaster launches a beam of light that pierces through Tainted Wisdom and hits Drake as well.

"Ugh!"

Life Point Count:

 _May: 4500_

 _Drake: 2450_

 **Turn 5 and 6**

"Draw!" The young man smirked. "I will win!"

"I activate Tribute to the Doomed. I send on card from my hand to destroy one on your field!"

He sent The Unhappy Maiden from his hand to the graveyard.

"I destroy Maha Vailo!"

"Trap activate! Magic Jammer! I negate a Spell Card by discarding one card from my hand. I cancel your Tribute to the Doomed!"

She sent Lady of Faith to the graveyard.

"Trap activate!"

"What?!" Drake laughed at May's shocked face.

"The rare card Seven Tools of the Bandit! By paying one-thousand life points, I can negate my opponent's Trap card! Maha Vailo is destroyed!"

Maha Vailo is sucked into a sarcophagus and is destroyed.

"Next, I Tribute Ancient Wisdom to summon Curse of Dragon in Attack mode."

The yellow-ish dragon roared as it is summoned.

"My Mystic Elf still has equal defense to that!"

"I equip Dragon Treasure to Curse of Dragon!"

May could almost hear herself curse as she saw her opponent's monster rise to 2300 attack.

"Attack Mystical Elf! Cursed Flame!"

Curse of Dragon spews a violet torrent of fire that destroys Mystical Elf.

"Mystical Elf!"

"Turn end!"

May grit her teeth in frustration. She had to draw a good card or else.

"This is the world of dueling you stepped into. Even if you are my friend, I won't hold back."

"It wouldn't be this fun if you did. Draw! Solemn Wishes activates."

She looked at the card and her small smile fell.

"I set a monster and place a card face down. I end my turn."

Life Point Count:

 _May: 5000_

 _Drake: 2450_

 **Turn 7 and 8**

"My turn, draw! I summon Giant Soldier of Stone in attack position."

The stone statue materialized onto the field.

"Giant Soldier of Stone attacks your set monster."

The set monster turned out to be a copy of Nemuriko.

"Curse of Dragon attacks directly!"

The violet flames surrounded May as she was engulfed by it.

"Turn end!"

May shook off the flames and stood straight again. The children watching them were now quiet. The duel also attracted some of the members of a gang that ran most of town.

"Draw! Solemn Wishes!"

She looked at her hand and finally she found victory in her hand. She smiled at Drake, who became confused.

"I summon my own Giant Soldier of Stone and set one card face down. I end my turn!"

"That's it?"

May smiled smugly and put her hands on her hips. Drake shrugged his shoulders and just thought of it as a bluff.

"O~kay."

Life Point Count:

 _May: 2700_

 _Drake: 2450_

 **Turn 9 and 10**

"Draw! I summon Three-Headed Geedo in attack mode."

He stared down the Giant Soldier of Stone at May's field and the set card she had. He realized he was taking a risk by attacking, but not attacking would allow her to Tribute summon. He just needed to do it.

"Curse of Dragon attacks Giant Soldier of Stone!"

The violet flames approached May's monster, but it never reached it. May's smile widened at her assured victory.

"Trap activate!"

When the card showed itself on the field, everyone in the vicinity knew the name of the card. With a strange unity, they all said the card's name in unison.

"HOLY BARRIER-MIRROR FORCE!"

"What?!"

"I know, right? I didn't think this card was in this deck at all. I was hoping for a Hane-Hane or Man-Eater Bug."

The violet flames hit an invisible forcefield and reflected it towards it's own field, destroying all the monsters that Drake had.

"I… end my turn."

"Draw! Solemn Wishes activated! I summon Destroyer Golem!"

Two Golems stood side by side on May's field.

"Attack directly!"

Drake covered his face as both Golems reached their giant fists at him. He heard his life points counter count down until it sounded the indicator for zero.

Life Point Count:

 _May: 3200_

 _Drake: 0_

 _Winner:_ May

May deactivated her duel disk and walked to Drake who had his eyes cast down. She reached out her hand, fully expecting it to get slapped away, but to her surprise, the boy held it and used it to pull himself up.

"Man," he said while scratching the back of his head. "Losing to someone who just got her deck today is quite humiliating."

"That's ok, right? Are you mad?" She asked.

"What? No, just disappointed. Losing in a duel is an honorable way to lose. Since I lost, I'll buy you some cards."

May suddenly embraced Drake, which made the latter blush very hard, to his disdain. He felt like the embrace was a bit too long, however. That's when May whispered in his ear.

"The Megacyber gang is looking at us."

He let go and when he turned around, a large thug was walking towards them. He looked at both the children menacingly, and both felt a chilling fear ran through their spines. They held their decks tightly in their hands.

"Nice duel kids." He said in a raspy voice as if he had been screaming. "Now I want that Mirror Force. You see, it's pretty rare, and powerful too." He held out his hand and waited.

May enclosed her hand around the deck even tighter.

"No."

"Oh? You defyin' me, Missy?'

"I'm not giving you one card from this deck."

The thug laughed. "Kid, when I want something, I get it. Any means necessary. Better give it now before things get ugly."

The Megacyber gang was a large gang that was present even in Domino City, but their main branch was within this town. Their leader, known only as The Boss, was a terrifying man. He hassled many establishments to accept his protection and asked for a large sum every month. The only territory he didn't cover was a small part, the poorer part, of the town. However, his underlings bullied this part as well. They took cards and possessions from the residents, often as roughly as possible. They mainly used Fiend-centered decks that was to strike fear into the hearts of anyone who dared to defy them.

"Someone has to stand up to you bullies!" She shouted.

"I agree."

The voice came from behind them. They all turned around to see a tall man in a three-piece suit. His hair was dark but had streaks of grey. His eyes were blue, and on his right arm was a light-weight duel disk, a model never seen before.

"Stealing cards from children. How distasteful can you be?"

"Who are you?"

"Just a guy passing by."

"Then mind your own business, suits!" The other thugs laughed at this.

"I intend to make these children my business. Uh, that didn't come out right. What I mean is that I'll protect these children."

He activated his duel disk. The sides simply slid out of the disk and the deck was shuffled.

"The name's Tyr, by the way. Kaiba Corp. Representative. I will see if you are a strong duelist as well. You might be able to stand in the same stage as Legendary Duelists, who knows? Sir Kaiba told me not to rule out any possibility."

The thug activated his duel disk and shoved his deck in.

"You won't be so smugly after this."

"Let's see."

The children, May and Drake included, sat at the sidelines and watched as the duel began. This was no longer a kid's duel. This is between grown-ups, loose professionals. They wanted to see how this would play out.

 **Duel!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Jinzo**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Location: Covex Town**

"You won't be so smugly after this!"

"Let us see."

" **DUEL"**

Life Point Count:

 _Tyr: 4000_

 _MegaCyber Member: 4000_

 **Turn 1 and 2**

"I'll make the first move, punk! Draw!" His bulky frame seemed to sway as he flipped the card to see it.

"I set a monster and put three cards face down. Your turn, suits! Make it a little longer than the last one."

"Hmph." Tyr drew the cards gracefully with the tip of his fingers. "Draw. I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack position."

The black armored knight appears on the field with his sword drawn.

"Then I activate Heavy Storm from my hand."

"Shit!"

A strong wind began to pick up around the field. Drake, May, and the other children held on to their cards tightly. The wind began to focus on the middle of the battlefield, whirling into a tornado that destroyed the Spell and Trap zones of both players.

"Gearfried, attack his defender."

The set monster revealed itself to be Sangan before it was destroyed. The thug cursed internally and externally at the same time.

"Goddamnit. Sangan's effect activated, I can add a monster with less than one-thousand five hundred attack from my deck."

The duel disk ejected one card onto his hand.

"I add Earthbound Spirit to my hand."

"I set two cards face down and end my turn."

Life Point Count:

 _Tyr: 4000_

 _MegaCyber Member: 4000_

 **Turn 3 and 4**

"Draw." The thugs suddenly smiled. "You ain't liking this. I summon Yata-Garasu in attack mode."

A black, translucent bird flies down to the battlefield.

"I activate Creature Swap! My Yata-Garasu, for your Gearfried, pretty good deal, huh?" The thug laughed out loud as the Knight and bird switched places. Tyr's face was stoic. "Now attack, Gearfried!"

The children were on their toes as they watched the tables turn on the battle, as now the thug has a strong 1800 attack monster while Tyr has only a 200 attack defender.

The iron-clad knight raised his sword to strike but suddenly stopped mid-way

"What now?"

"I activate Enemy Controller. I can either switch the position of an opponent's monster, or Tribute a monster on my field to gain control of your monster. Gearfried switches to defense mode."

The thug grinded his teeth in frustration.

"Fuck. At the end of my turn, Yata-Garasu returns to my hand."

"Draw." Tyr looks at it and puts it in his hand. "I summon Marauding Captain in attack mode."

The blonde knight appears, and is followed by a silhouette.

"When Marauding Captain is summoned, I can summon a level four or lower monster from my hand. I summon D. D. Warrior."

The red-headed knight with strange armor takes his place beside Marauding Captain.

"I attack Gearfried with D. D. Warrior."

The two clash swords, and the shockwave hits Tyr as his life points take a hit. A wormhole opens behind Gearfired, and D. D. Warrior pushes them both in.

"When D. D. Warrior battles with a monster, both him and the opponent's monster is removed from play. Marauding Captain attacks directly."

The Marauding Captain's sword pierces through the MegaCyber thug.

"I end my turn."

Life Point Count:

 _Tyr: 3600_

 _MegaCyber Member: 2800_

 **Turn 5 and 6**

"Damn you! Draw!" The thug sighed in defeat. "I place a card face down and end my turn."

Tyr clicked his tongue in disappointment. "What did you say? I would'nt be so smug after this? Very, very underwhelming. Draw."

"I activate Monster Reborn. I bring back Gearfried."

The iron-clad knight appears on the field.

"Then I activate Remove Trap to destroy your set card."

The set card flipped up as Enchanted Javelin before it was destroyed.

"I attack directly."

The two knights charge in unison as they slashed the thug on the opposite side, who could only stand in horror. He covered his face as the solid vision faded when his life points dropped to zero.

Life Point Count:

 _Tyr: 3600_

 _MegaCyber Member: 0_

 _Winner: Tyr_

Tyr walked over to the cowering thug and kicked him hard in the groin. The gang member doubled over in pain and backed away quickly. When he looked up at the Kaiba Corp. Representative's face, he could see the face of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"Get out of here and never show your face again." Tyr said as he stared at the other members with a strong murderous intent.

The MegaCyber gang members ran away fast, cursing under their breaths. The children jumped off of their seats and surrounded Tyr. They were asking questions left and right and were trying to see his deck. The representative just gave it to them and walked away. May walked up to him.

"Thank you, sir." She said with a tinge of red in her cheeks.

"No problem. Oh, tell your friends this." He said, pulling a flyer from inside his suit. "Kaiba Corp. will have a tournament in three months. Anyone can join."

"But we don't have strong cards like you."

"All cards can be strong if the duelist is strong. And if you need more, Kaiba Corp. will also be sponsoring game shops in remote towns such as this."

Drake stepped into the conversation without warning. "Duel me next!"

"I'm afraid your friends have dismantled the deck I used." He pointed to the direction where the commotion over the winning deck has died down, and everyone except May and Drake had a card in their hand. "I do not wish to use my personal deck."

Drake grit his teeth. "Why? Don't think I can handle it?"

May nudged him in the ribs. "What's gotten into you?"

"I just want to duel him!"

Tyr couldn't help but chuckle. He turned his back on the two children and walked towards a taking-off helicopter. He dropped the flyer and spoke loudly.

"Then become strong enough to enter the tournament. I will duel you then. I will not hold back!"

Tyr kept his eyes on them as the chopper Rose from the ground and continued to gain altitude. He stepped back and closed the door when they were no longer in sight. Another man in a suit walked up to him. The man's eyes were red, and his hair was completely black. He was smaller, but his voice was deeper than Tyr's.

"Took you long enough."

Tyr sat down and pulled a sleeping mask over his eyes.

"I did my job."

"Your job was to stick the flyers, make an announcement, and move on. Not get involved."

"Not much excitement in that. I came to know the locals."

"And did you find any with promise?"

"Yes. Weak, but with potential."

This made the other man raise an eyebrow. "How much potential?"

Tyr reached into his suit and pulled out his personal deck case. He opened it without removing his mask and showed the other man a card.

"Oh? So you expect him to come?"

He put the card back and put the case away.

"Yes. I had to sully my hands for them, after all."

"Hmm… Hearing you like this make me wonder if they're worth my time."

"Tor." Tyr removed his mask so they can look at each other eye-to-eye. "I'm sure it won't be long. After all, the tournament has a tag-team segment. You'll see them soon enough."

The chopper headed back to Domino City, carrying two Duelists known as the Two Dragons, Kaiba Corp.'s strongest personnel.

Drake and May duelled with others and with each other until night fell. Their cards had little wears from all the use, and their duel disks were at their last surges of energy. May had just summoned One-Eyed Shield Dragon and dealt the final blow to Drake's life points.

"I'm tired, Drake. Let's stop."

"No, I need to be stronger!"

May turned off her duel disk and walked towards her friend.

"There's more to duelling than the duel itself. There's also building the deck."

"My deck's ok."

"Yeah…" May couldn't count how many times Drake beat her, can you even count zero? "Well I want to try it at least. Some of my parents' relatives are coming tomorrow, and I might just get some money. I'll be going to the game shop tomorrow."

Drake stood up and shut down his duel disk.

"Ok. Let's go tomorrow. See you." The two of them walked in opposite directions, as Drake was a well-to-do and May was poor. At night, only half of Covex Town was covered in light.

The gameshop in Covex Town was owned by a Mr. Maxim. He was a tall, and wide man that usually wore a blue apron as he worked. His store was a just the size of a convenience store, and most of it was lined with shelves containing figurines, books, boards, and most profitable of all, Duel Monster cards.

Now more than ever, kids, and some adults as well, filled his store to the brim, buying packs and individual cards. He noticed that after the happenings in Domino City over the past few weeks, his pockets felt heavier. Duel Monsters was really taking off.

May and Drake tried to squeeze through the entrance but couldn't make it past the door frame. The outside of the store was covered in flyers of the tournament.

"Guess we aren't doing that today." May said defeated.

"Oh no, I'm getting better cards today."

"Drake! We can't even make it past the door."

"Hmm…" Drake walked to the street towards an empty alleyway. "HEY, IS THAT YUGI MOTO?!"

May stood there speechless. A lot of the people inside the shop suddenly ran towards where Drake was pointing to. The poor girl was almost stampeded by the sudden onrush of people. She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on!"

The two of them went counterflow the course of the crowd and into the shop. Soon after, the shop was completely empty for a short while as one fake sighting is followed by another.

"You. Are. Crazy."

Drake shrugged his shoulders as he looked around the store. He took a look at his pocket money, and selected a big handful of packs and individual cards. He was at the checkout when he saw May looking at a certain card. He approached her and saw she was looking at a copy of Jinzo.

"Aren't you going to buy him?"

May didn't respond.

"Hey. Earth to May?"

May snapped back into reality as if suddenly being released from a trance.

"Oh, no. It's too expensive. I can buy just a few packs with this amount. This card costs just as much as 10 packs!"

Mr. Maxim chimed in from the counter. "Little lady, that card is a signature of a Legendary Duelist, so of course it's expensive. Not to mention it's prismatic in appearance."

"Oh, is that so?" She stepped away from the display Jinzo and selected a few packs that fell right into the small fortune she had gathered from relatives. Drake looked into his own basket full of packs. He returned some of them then proceeded to check out. May soon followed.

"Are you fine with that?"

"Yeah! I'm sure I can make a good deck with the cards in these packs."

"Ok then. Let's go to my house."

May went on ahead, opening the packs she bought as she went along. Drake, however, quickly ran back to the counter and pulled the Jinzo from it's display case.

"I'll take it."

Mr. Maxim was surprised at this sudden move. He couldn't help but smile at the gesture of childish sentimentality.

"You're not buying this for yourself, are you?"

Drake laughed nervously. "Uhm, no, not really."

"Is for that girl?"

"N-no!" He had a fierce blush on his face.

"So it is, eh? Youth these days."

He secretly dropped the price of the card by a small margin.

May was ahead of Drake and was viewing the cards she had obtained. She was pretty happy with her luck. She managed to pull a copy of Monster Reborn, a few Kuribohs, and a good Call of the Haunted. She was mostly having Fairy-types, and she was fine with that. She would love to play her Mystical Elf even more.

Drake caught up to her and pulled out the card.

"Here," he took a few quick breaths.

"Wait, you bought this?"

"Yep. You really wanted it, and I had some extra money."

"You really didn't have to, you know? I'm fine with this."

Drake the put the card in his pocket. "O~kay then, if you don't want it, I'll just use it myself."

"I didn't say I didn't want it!" May puffed her cheeks.

"Here." He held out the card for her to take.

However, she suddenly felt something strange the moment her fingers touched the prismatic coat. She felt dizzy, and her hand felt like it was being electrecuted by the card, but she couldn't let go of it. The face of the card, Jinzo the Man-Made Human, looked all too strangely familiar, even though she had never seen the card before today.

"You ok?" Drake asked her worriedly. He saw her space out for a moment.

May shook her head to get rid of the dizziness. "Yeah, I'm totally fine. I'm just happy you bought this for me.

The boy shrugged his shoulders and started for the direction of his house.

"Let's build our decks at my place."

May had a little problem with that. Not just her now throbbing headache.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Time**

 **Author's note: Thank you for reading! I am really enjoying myself with this first fanfic. If you have questions, just PM me, and I will answer, unless it's spoiler territory. Concerning the time, the story begins December 2002, as the original Duel Monsters ended early 2002. This happens between DM and GX. As such, making cohesive decks with DM cards are a bit hard.**

 **Please enjoy the ride!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Location: Neo-Domino City**

 **Year 2037**

"Yusei!"

The Signers felt their marks leave their bodies and transfer onto Yusei. The overwhelming surge of power in the surroundings whipped up gigantic tornadoes that fell massive buildings that once stood tall and strong.

Yusei, Jack, and Crow were on their D-Wheels, riding close to the epicenter of the storm-like entity, while Aki on her own D-Wheel, rode further while guiding Ruka and Rua on their D-Boards.

A shining black entity in stood at the center of Neo-Domino City, towering over it all. Beside it was an old man with a long beard as white as snow. His face couldn't be seen amidst the tempest, but he held a sword and shield that acted as a Duel Disk.

Yusei was the last of the Signers with life points, his at 500. Bruises and cuts can be seen on all of them. Mina and Tetsu followed them on the Starlight Road on their helicopter, but they were slowly being sucked in by the tempest. Yusei looks at his Speed Counters, and sees six. His D-Wheel buckles from the damage it took but still continued to run.

The old man inside the storm spoke, and his voice sounded as if it came from Heaven.

"It is futile. There is no future for you."

 **Location: Covex Town**

 **Year: 2002**

May and Drake walked through the town, slowly but surely seeing a slowly accumulating change with the surroundings. Patched up houses turned to brick and stone, bland grey and orange rust became vibrant matte colors. Drake had a one-floor house among those near the center of town, its walls white with a bluish green roof.

He knocked on the wooden door.

"Who is it?" A feminine voice asked from inside.

"It's me, mom."

After a few audible steps, the door opens to reveal a woman in her mid-thirties. Her black hair was short, barely reaching her neck, and was covered in a hair net. She was just a little tall, almost 5'3", but her vertical striped apron made her look a bit taller. Her eyes flitted between her son and May.

"Oh, who's this?"

The girl spoke up. "I'm May, ma'am."

"She's my friend."

"Oh, really? Then come in! I was just making spring rolls."

The two of them went inside. Just the living room was bigger than May's own house. This was the first time she ever went to Drake's house, mostly because she didn't need to. The playground was enough. Drake's mom went back to the kitchen while they layed out the cards they have on the coffee table.

"You're putting Jinzo in your deck?"

"Yeah. It does have a unique foil finish. Besides, It's special. How about you?"

"You'll have to duel me to find out."

Drake's mom came back into the room and served them a plate of spring rolls while the two of them constructed their decks. She sat down and watched them work.

"So, May, where are you from?"

"From down town."

"From the satellite part of town?"

The word satellite rang in May's ears, but much like the headache from earlier, she paid it no mind.

"Yes."

Drake's mom seemed to engage in a deep type of thought.

"Well, that's fine to me, but your father…"

"I won't tell him."

May looked at Drake. "Why?"

"Well, here in this upper area, people don't like others from the satellite part of town. They are seen as bad."

"Oh, I see…"

They continued that way in silence until a knock on the door reminded them the it was almost nightfall. A big man came into the house in a brown police officer uniform. He hung his coat and appeared in the living room.

"Look at that, my boy's got a friend."

"Hi dad!"

"Well, don't mind me, just gonna rest my legs after a day of disciplining those satellite scum."

May dropped her deck, but hastened to pick it up. She put it and all of her other cards into a paper bag. She stood up and straightened her clothes.

"I'll be going now. Thank you for your hospitality."

Drake's mom peeked from the kitchen.

"You're not staying for dinner?"

"No thank you."

"Drake, my boy, don't just sit there, escort her back to her house."

"Ok."

"There's no need-"

"I'll take her home."

"But there's really no-"

"BYE!"

Drake pulled her arm and they both went out the door.

"Sorry for my dad. He's an officer stationed near your house and, well, he doesn't like the environment."

"It's ok. I'm going now."

She walked away, and Drake stood where he was and just looked at her for too long. Soon, she was swallowed by the small rush of people going home.

May never felt like this but now, she can't block out anything related to the satellite part of town. She was hearing rumors, killings, kidnappings. It was as if the people don't know anything about where she lived, and as if there was no peace to be found there.

People discriminate over the tiniest things. Finance, color of your skin, what you believe. Such is humanity. The cruelest part is to be at the receiving end. May felt this way. Without anyone to distract her, and her eyes open. She bumped into someone.

Three boys blocked May's way. The three of them were taller than her, and older, looking to be 16. She doesn't know them, but they recognize her.

"It's the satellite girl who was protected by the big boss man."

They surrounded her. She held her duel disk close.

"How did she get a duel disk?"

"She probably stole it."

"No, I didn't! My mom gave it to me!"

"So your mom stole it?"

"No she didn't!"

"Are you sure?"

"I-" She stopped. She wasn't. She knew her father worked a low paying job. Her mom… Her mom just leaves and comes back before her father did. She didn't know where she went.

"Well?"

But she refused to believe such things. "She didn't!"

The boys laughed at her.

"This girl is so easy. Say, let me have a look at your deck."

"No!"

"I wasn't asking."

The two other boys tugged at her disk and her paper bag. She tried with all her strength to hold on, but she couldn't match their strength. The paper bag ended up tearing, spoiling cards onto the pavement, while the boys got her duel disk.

"Give it back!"

"You don't deserve to duel. Not you, or anyone in satellite. You're just leftover freeloaders on this town."

One of the boys raised the disk high, his knee positioned towards it. May's eyes widened as she realized what was going to happen.

"NO!"

"You don't deserve this-"

He was cut short when another duel disk hit him square in the head. May broke free and caught hers in mid-air.

"Pick on someone your own size."

May looked up to see her mom crackling her knuckles. She was wearing a red t-shirt, black pants, and her hair was tied back. Her duel disk was more worn out than May's, and it was an older model. In other words…

"Mom?! You look like an original Duelist!" May ran up to her and embraced her. To her, she was beautiful, even more so now than ever.

"Well, that's how I help your father. He goes to jobs, I duel in the underground."

The boy who fell down felt a bump on his head. He gritted his teeth and bared his duel disk.

"You're gonna get it, lady?"

"Is that how you talk to someone older than you?" She put her hands on her hips.

"You're satellite trash so I can say whatever I want, hag!"

"The name's Maria Helenst, children." She pulled out a handcuff-like device, and threw it at the boy's duel disk, instantly connecting both. "And here's a taste of a real duel. The loser loses their right to duel."

"Grr… Fine!"

 **DUEL!**

 **Life Points Counter:**

 **Maria: 4000**

 **Ray Bastion: 4000**

 **Turn 1 and 2**

"Your name's Ray, huh?" Her duel disk displayed the information clearly. "Draw."

"I set one monster and set three cards face down. Turn end"

"That's it?" Ray laughed. "Let me show you power, lady. Draw!"

He looked at his hand and smirked.

"I summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie in attack position!"

The green gaseous monster appeared shortly after its lamp did.

"I equip Axe of Despair! La Jinn's attack rises to two-thousand eight hundred. Attack her defender!"

Maria grinned. "Marshmallon, block it."

The giant marshmallow blob took the djinn's axe and was split in half. The blob splashed some of its insides towards the other player. His life points took a dip.

"When a monster attacks a face down Marshmallon, the player receives one thousand damage."

 **Life Point Counter:**

 **Maria: 4000**

 **Ray: 3000**

 **Turn 3 and 4**

"You are one lucky boy to survive this long."

"What?"

"It ends now. Draw! I summon Cannon Soldier in attack position."

The mechanical monster poised itself with its two Cannon arms ready.

"I can Tribute a monster to inflict five hundred damage to you. I Tribute Marshmallon."

Marshmallon turned into a beam of energy that loaded onto Cannon Soldier and was fired directly at Ray.

"Quick-Play spell card! Scapegoat! I special summon four Goat Tokens. I use them all as Cannon Tributes!"

"This isn't fair!" Ray covered his face from the oncoming onslaught.

"I activate Snatch Steal, to Steal La Jinn. Attack!"

La Jinn raised his axe and slammed it into Ray's duel disk, making the gadget spark and burn out. The holograms disappeared as the boy's life points inevitably counted down to zero.

 **Life Point Counter:**

 **Maria: 4000**

 **Ray: 0**

 **Winner: Maria**

The boys quickly ran away after the fight, but Ray took a moment to glare at the mother and daughter before taking off, leaving his broken duel disk behind. Maria picked it up and dusted it off.

"He even left his deck. I can fix this disk and…"

May was starry-eyed at her mother.

"Teach me how to duel like that!"

She began running towards her mother, who grabbed her by the arm.

"Later. Dueling in public is not allowed here."

 **Location: Covex Town**

 **Year: 2003**

The months quickly passed by, and the Tournament is finally at hand. Drake stood outside May's door. He was wearing a white undershirt and a blue blazer. He had a big backpack with a Kaiba Corp. Logo, and his duel disk was snuggly fit in his left arm.

May kissed her parents goodbye. Her mother wasn't entering, saying: "Your father isn't reliable enough to be left alone," to which the couple exchanged a few teasing words. She herself was wearing a plain red shirt and black pants, and her bag was a small, but it held her every possession.

They hired a truck driver who was also to go to Domino City so they can hitch a ride there. The drive took 4 hours, but the scenery in the city was far different that in their little town. It was… breathtaking.

"Let's go find a place to stay."

Drake nodded, but out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a very familiar object, held by a chain. He shook it of and followed May to the commercial area to find hotels within their budget.

 **Author's Note: Well, the first arc starts here. Hope you are enjoying so far. With school and research, I can pump out at most one chapter a week, but it's a very fun ride.**

 **If you have requests, and questions, I would be happy to answer, as long as it's not going to interrupt the story flow.**

 **Ciao.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Atem Memorial Cup**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything, if I did, Link Summoning wouldn't invalidate Synchros and Pendulums. Also Qliphort Scout would be at three. But that's just me using my broken Qliphort deck.**

 **Location: Domino City**

 **Year: 2003**

May woke up in the small motel room they rented out to stay in. It seems that the entire motel, and every other hotel in Domino City, was filled to the brim with Duelists that travelled here for the tournament. The girl looked out the window and saw many people with different types of duel disks in the street.

Drake, however, was still snoring away. May reviewed her cards and wondered to herself how well she'd do and what kind of tournament this will be. Her eyes landed on Jinzo and Mystical Elf.

"I guess this is my ace monster. One day, I'll become known for these cards."

The motel room they rented was small. Two beds were fitted awkwardly opposite to each other, each had a small electric fan atop a wooded stand. There was a small table near the door, which merged the kitchen and the dining room and the living room. A small TV sat on the corner of the room. The room itself was on the third floor, so they had a good view from the window.

May decided to take a walk outside while Drake slept. She left a note on the table and walked outside the motel.

Right away, she could feel the difference between their little town and the city. The big buildings casted shade over most of the ground, so the sun never really directly reached the people. The streets were bustling with activity, and game shops can be seen just blocks apart.

"The city, huh? I wonder where the registration is."

She walked around for a little bit, drinking in every sight. Finally, she found someone who had a Kaiba Corp. logo on his shirt.

"Excuse me?"

The man was wearing a white and blue cap that covered his eyes.

"Yes, miss?"

"I was wondering where the registration for the tournament is."

"Why, right here." He showed her a terminal. It was located outside a game shop, and it was one of the only game shops that wasn't filled to the brim.

"You bring your Duel Disk, get it updated, and you are registered. The terminal will give you a locator card that you need to stay in the tournament. Here, give me yours."

She handed over her duel disk. The man hooked it up to the terminal. The display on the top blinked red for a few seconds until it turned green. The screen flashed a red "Registered" as the man unhooked the duel disk and handed it back to May. The terminal dispensed a transparent card.

"There you go. Registered as "May Helenst" with your deck. Now the tournament starts at noon sharp. Be at the square before then."

May nods and checks her Duel Disk. The Graveyard slot was blinking. The clear card she had was also blinking in the center. She took that as a cue to slot in the card.

"Wait, you shouldn't-"

But the warning came too late. The duel disk activated, and the terminal displayed an opposing field.

"What?"

"Well, the clear card syncs with nearby duel machines and activates a forced duel. Now you have to beat the duel terminal."

"Oh, ok. My bad."

"It's a new mechanic that was supposed to be announced later but, well, you're here now."

May looked on as the machine drew five digital cards on its screen.

"Well then."

 **Duel!**

 **Life Point Count:**

 **May: 4000**

 **Duel Terminal: 4000**

 **Turn 1 and 2**

The duel terminal took the initiative and started its turn. After drawing a card, it placed two cards face down and summoned a Horse Raider in attack position. Then the screen flashed "Turn End."

"Draw. I activate Graceful Charity, I draw three cards and discard two from my hand."

She draws and discards two Sinister Serpents to the graveyard.

"I use Soul Exchange. I Tribute your monster to summon Jinzo, the Man-Made human. Your trap cards are nullified by his effect. I activate Limiter Removal, doubling his attack but destroying him during the end phase. Direct attack."

Jinzo's power double to 4800, easily dropping the terminal's life points to zero.

 **Life Point Count:**

 **May: 4000**

 **Duel Terminal: 0**

 **Winner: May**

The duel terminal flashed a "YOU WIN" and shut off. The clear card was ejected from May's duel disk as well. The man smiled.

"Looks like you have what it takes to make it. Good luck."

May got Drake out of bed and into the motions of what she did before, so that both of them were registered. In the nick of time, they found the square rather easily, as it was packed full of people. The screen flashed the Kaiba Corp. Logo. At exactly noon, at the end of the twelfth ring of the clock, the logo changed to a person.

His hair was white with blue highlights, and a black suit. Everyone knew him, but even more so for the two.

"That's Tyr!"

"Looks like his real job."

The entire square, nay, the entire city hushed down, as the fees was being broadcasted to every possible medium in Domino City. His blue eyes pierced every screen. His voice effectively rang throughout the city.

"Greetings, from Kaiba Corp. I am Tyr, and I am here to bring you all the word. There are over ten-thousand Duelists in this city from around the world that will be participating in this most prestigious tournament."

The murmurs began. The numbers were almost unheard of in a single tournament.

"This will be the biggest tournament that will ever be held. Hear me, hear the dawn of Battle World! The Official Name of this will be the Atem Memorial Cup, in celebration of the first King of Games. Thus, the city will be an insult. The tournament shall premiere as a worldwide contest of champions, all are welcome!"

The Duelists began to look at each other, and sure enough, found at least one representative for each ethnical group, for each nationality without fail.

"In your hands are Locator Cards. They will tell you where the Kaiba Corp. Transportation will be. This will be a duel that spans the entire world. All seven continents shall be your battleground. Only the best in the world will make it back here to Domino City. Locator Cards will be the wager in every duel in this tournament. When you are out of Locator Cards, you are out of the battle. Such are the rules."

The players looked at the transparent cards they hold that blinked eerily red.

"Two Locator Cards will be required to find and board the first Transport to America. At least Half of you will be eliminated at each stage. You will all be supervised by Kaiba Corp. Drones so all forms of cheating shall be detected. Cheating warrants disqualification. The total number of remaining contestants can be accessed through the Drones by simply asking it. Go on, try it."

The drones flew, the sky covered in silver and blue, and disappated as quickly as they came. The drone was one-to-one, so each duelist had their own companion drone.

May looked at hers. "How many contestants are left?"

 _There are 10522 contestants left._

"Finally, the winner of this tournament will gain a massive sum of money, and the chance to take the title King of Games."

The money rung in May's ears. With that amount, her father and mother would be living life easy, and she could stop the discrimination of satellite. Somehow. She knew it would just work.

"Seto Kaiba, Mokuba Kaiba, Myself and a few other Kaiba Corp. Personnel shall be joining as well. So, say it with me now…"

 _ **IT'S TIME TO DUEL!**_

 **Author's Note: Short Chapter I know but considering the next ones would be quite long, I feel I had to get this out earlier than I should. Big thanks to support and see you guys next time.**

 **Sneak Preview:**

May draws a card and smiles.

"I'm moving on!"

Her opponent's trap card activates, forcing her to stop attacking. Drake was suddenly surrounded by Yugi's group.

"What a dangerous first opponent."

Yugi Muto steps into the spotlight!

 **Next Chapter: Majesty With Eyes of Blue**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4: Majesty with Eyes of Blue**

 **Author's note: Here you go, the first leg of Battle World starts here. Hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: Link Monsters just kill my playstyles. Gg Konami.**

 **Location: Domino City**

Already, right after the announcement, the square was brimming with duels. The atmosphere was filled with adrenaline as the Duelists fight over the sole requirement to stay in the tournament. May and Drake decide to get away from the crowd and return to the motel to ready their things.

"Wow, I didn't expect this to be a travel tournament." May said as she looked around at the duels happening.

"Around the world, no less. But I still want to battle that Tyr right away!"

"You won't. He would easily make it to the last leg of this. You should focus on surviving."

May's duel disk suddenly activated. She swerved behind her and saw a mop of dark hair. Yellow jacket and blue with white stripes underneath. His hand was on his Duel Disk's graveyard slot.

"Not now…"

The boy was followed by a group of 5. At this, both Drake and May couldn't move.

"Yugi… Muto…"

"Mokuba, what were you thinking?!"

Mokuba Kaiba faced his brother. "This is the girl Tyr told me about. I recognize her from the photos."

'Photos?!' May thought.

"He said she's strong. I want to show you how I've improved."

Seto Kaiba looked at May. The girl could feel her knees shaking. It was as if the Blue Eyes White Dragon itself was staring her down.

"Do as you like."

Yugi and the others walked over to Drake and faced the duel. The young boy was fidgeting, suddenly being surrounded by legends.

"Joey Wheeler, Mai Valentine, Seto Kaiba, Tristan Taylor, and Yugi Muto… Wow, it's an honor to finally meet you."

Yugi smiled at him.

"is she your friend?"

Drake nodded. "We joined together."

"She's going to fight a powerful opponent."

May stared down Mokuba as the duel disk shuffled their cards. She slotted the Locator Card in the graveyard. Two drones swooped from the sky and took their places behind the Duelists.

"Let's go!"

"Right!"

 **DUEL!**

 **Life Point Counter:**

 **Mokuba: 4000**

 **May: 4000**

 **Turn 1 and 2**

Drake swallowed and gathered his courage. He faced Seto. "Um, sir, won't either of them be disqualified if they lose?"

"As long as you can get another Locator Card immediately, you are still in. Just find the Transport before time runs out."

"Time?"

Drake looked at the drones' back and saw a timer counting down from 69:56.

"Three days."

"My turn, draw!" Mokuba looked at his hand. "I activate Mountain."

The entire field was changed from the city to a point on a mountain's windward side. The wind was strong, blowing past both duelist.

"I summon Koumuri Dragon in attack position, set two cards face down and end my turn."

The black dragon flew around Mokuba as it rode of the mountain's ferocious winds.

"My turn then. Draw." May shuffled her hand. "I summon Robotic Knight in attack position."

The knight-like machine appeared on the field.

"I activate Remove Trap, allowing me to destroy a trap card on your field."

On of Mokuba's set cards, a Call of the Haunted, was destroyed.

"Then I activate De-spell, destroying your field spell."

The mountain began to rumble as it faded from the sight of all onlookers. Seto Kaiba looked on in satisfaction.

"Not bad."

"You are good, Tyr wasn't lying."

"Thank you. I set two cards face down. Battle! Robotic Knight destroys Koumuri Dragon!"

The machine monster swung its massive sword at the dragon, destroying in a flurry of strikes. The hologram breaks like glass.

"End turn."

 **Life Point Counter:**

 **May: 4000**

 **Mokuba: 3900**

 **Turns 3 and 4**

"My turn, draw!"

 **Location: Unknown**

The four veiled people in the crypt watched many different duels. They too have complete visual on everything happening in the tournament, and as it was, they were finding their vessel. Three of them left a man named Marcus on the watch to attend some more present concerns. He watched on something akin to a mirror, surrounded by the stone carvings of souls of women.

"Marcus, have you found one yet?"

"Not yet, Grand Master. It would seem our God is testing our vigilance."

"Indeed."

The rough and heavy voice, Marcus, flitted his eyes from duel to duel, after one ends, he finds another. Then, he finds May's duel on visual. He notices that a lot of important people were present at such a normal duel.

Then he saw it.

A slight blue aura surrounding a certain boy within the small group watching. He moved the visual to a better place, and saw the person emanating the aura that eluded their sights for the past three months.

"I see you. Finally. Our wishes will come true."

He took off his veil. The man underneath was scarred. His face had a rough mark starting from his blind right eye. Nearly a quarter of his face was discolored from its natural tan.

"Marcus?"

A sultry voice comes from across the crypt. The veiled figure walked slowly as she swung her hips seductively.

"Deliah… I found him."

"Who?" She quickened her pace and looked into the mirror. She too, could see the aura, but it was barely perceptible.

"Granted, he is yet to ripen, but he will."

"And when he does…"

"We'll get our wish."

She took off her veil to reveal a beautiful woman by every definition. Her eyes shone, her lips a full plump red, her hair sparkling. She had a scent of roses, one that Marcus loved. She kissed him deeply, and he returned.

Soon.

Mokuba smiled.

"Let's go. I summon Lord of D. In attack position."

The man covered in dragon bones appeared on Mokuba's field.

"I open my set card! Flute of Summoning Dragon! If Lord of D. Is on the field, I can summon two dragon types from my hand."

He showed the two cards in his hand. May stared in disbelief.

"I summon two Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

The two gigantic dragons roared into existence and dwarfed May's Robotic Knight.

"Battle! First Blue Eyes, attack! Burst Stream!"

The first Blue Eyes opened it's mouth and charged a white beam of energy that it fired onto May's only monster.

"Trap Card, activate, Enchanted Javelin. I gain life Point equal to Blue Eyes' attack!"

May covered her face as the blast hit, debris flying towards her.

"Second Blue Eyes attacks! Burst Stream!"

"Trap Card activate, Draining Shield! I gain Life Points equal to Blue Eyes' attack and negate the battle."

A large shield appeared over May, protecting her from the blast at the same time showering her in green light.

"Lord of D. Attack! Dragon Headrush!"

The Lord of D. rides on one of the Blue Eyes and rams it into May.

"I end my Turn."

"My turn. Draw!"

Yugi watched the battle closely. It couldn't be even more one sided from his, and the other's perspective.

"Mokuba's really improved."

"He said he was tired of being helpless, so he practiced. What he is now is his own doing." Seto Kaiba said casually.

"What a fearsome first opponent for that girl."

Drake could only watch the terribly powerful monsters on the opposing side of the field. If he was at that position, he knew the game was all but over.

'But May is different. If anyone can overcome this, she can.' He thought, but even then, he didn't know if he was just trying to convince himself.

"She can pull out a win…" he muttered.

"You really think so?" Yugi asked him.

Drake could feel hope fading faster now.

"I set a monster face down and end my turn." May wiped sweat from her brow and rechecked the cards in her hand. It wasn't here yet.

 **Life Point Counter:**

 **May: 7200**

 **Mokuba: 3900**

 **Turn 5 and 6**

"My turn. Draw. I set one card face down. Battle! Blue Eyes, Burst Stream!"

The set monster turned out to be Marshmallon.

"Marshmallon cannot be destroyed by battle, and inflicts one thousand points of damage to you if you attack it face down."

"Nice. Sadly, that's one last turn you will take in this tournament. End turn. I'm really enjoying this so far." Mokuba smiled at May.

"My turn then. Draw." She looked at the card and smiled.

"I'm the one moving on. I play Scapegoat , Summoning four goat tokens on my field."

Four goats appeared beside Marshmallon.

"I use Creature Swap to switch a goat tokens with your Blue Eyes."

Mokuba smirked. 'Useless.'

"Trap Card, open. Solemn Judgement. I pay half my life points to negate your Creature Swap."

A strong lightning bolt crushed her Creature Swap, rendering it useless. May looked at her hand. She had no way to win, except by chance. She played the only card that could save her.

"From my hand, I activate Pot of Greed. I draw two cards."

She looked at her draws. The light went back to her eyes.

"I said I'm the one moving on! I activate Raigeki! Destroying all your monsters!"

"What?!"

A large thunder crashed acrossed the sky, and a lightning bolt hit Mokuba's field, destroying all of his monsters. Yugi and Kaiba both looked impressed, the latter only slightly showing it.

"I haven't normal summoned yet. I tribute Marshmallon to summon Jinzo the Man-Made Human!"

Marshmallon split itself to many pieces, recombining to become the mechanical figure that is Jinzo.

"Then I activate this, Limiter Removal! Doubling Jinzo's attack but destroying him in the end phase."

Mokuba knew at this point.

"Game over."

"Game over. Psychic Shock!"

Jinzo rips his mouthpiece to reveal a horrifying metallic mouth as he conducts psychic lighting to hit Mokuba directly. Mokuba falls to the ground as his life points hit zero.

 **Life Point Counter:**

 **May: 7200**

 **Mokuba: 0**

 **Winner: May.**

Mokuba propped himself up and waited as his duel disk ejected the clear Locator Card. When it did, he handed it over to May.

"I guess I'm just not as good as my big brother."

"Thanks... I had fun too."

"You can move on now." Mokuba rejoins the group, who encourages him. Kaiba in particular, though normally cold, complimented his little brother in a manner fitting Seto Kaiba.

Yugi moved over to May and offered his hand.

"You're a very good duelist. What's your name?"

May felt weak in her knees again. She very reluctantly took Yugi's hand and shook it. "May Hellenst."

Joey suddenly appeared over Yugi's shoulder.

"May, wassit? You gotta way wit' your cards! Hows about you join us-ow!"

Mai pulled Joey by the ear away from May, who was struggling to keep her laugh in.

"She looks much much younger than you, Joey. Don't you dare hit on her."

"But I wasn't-"

"Keep Wheeler by the leash, would you? He might be placed in a pound for assault sooner or later." Seto crossed his arms.

"You too, Kaiba ( _Koiba)_!?"

"And my name is not Koiba! Let's go, Mokuba."

"It was nice meeting you." Yugi said as he ran to catch up with his friends.

May looked at the two Locator Cards in her hand. She pocketed them both and tugged at Drake, who was still quite stunned at what happened.

"We got to meet the King of Games. That was amazing!"

"I know, better yet, you get your second Locator Card."

"Oh, that's right."

"Or do you want to…"

"Yeah, let's go back to the motel first. We need to get ready to leave."

May nodded. She was almost assured a spot on the next length of the tournament, so she had to be ready to leave at a moment's notice. Almost.

A shadowy figure followed the two of them from behind.

Marcus reported to the Grand Master, who smiled in delight. The time it took for the vessel to mature was inconsequential. All that matters is that they found him. Now, their plans can be put to motion.

"But first, Marcus."

"Yes, Grand Master?"

"I want you to follow that boy. Make sure he matures well."

"Grand Master, I am not in the tournament."

The old man under the veil produced a new model of the duel disk. On its deck slot were two Locator cards.

"You have cards, do you not?"

"I do."

"Then you are in the tournament. This has been readied for you, for this sole purpose. But first, I shall see if your skill can push him to the limit."

The old man raised his arm, and connected to it was a Sword and Shield, acting as a pseudo-duel disk. Marcus nodded and took his own duel disk, placed the cards, and stood opposite of the Grand Master.

"Marcus, do not hesitate."

 **DUEL!**

 **Life Point Counter:**

 **Marcus: 4000**

 **Grand Master: 4000**

 **Turn 1 and 2**

"I shall make the first move," Marcus announced. "Draw!"

"I summon Marauding Captain in attack position."

The blonde haired warrior appears to the right Marcus.

"It's effect allows me to summon a level four warrior monster from my hand. I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight."

The black armored knight materialized at Marcus's left.

"I activate Release Restraint. Break out of your armor, and serve with your greatest prowess, Gearfired the Swordsmaster!"

The armor cracked, and light from within spilled forth to reveal Gearfried's most powerful form.

"I then activate Card Destruction, we discard our hands and draw an equal amount. I activate Axe of Despair on Marauding Captain."

A giant axe suddenly appears at Marauding Captain's hand.

"I set one card and end my turn."

A dark aura emanates from the Grand Master's graveyard. Behind him appeared two shadow-like beings with flaming red eyes and fiendish hands.

"Due to your Card Destruction, I special summon two Despair From The Dark from my graveyard. I draw."

He drew a card from the hilt of the sword.

"I summon Meifist the Infernal General in attack position. I then use the Equip Spell Sword of Dark Destruction on Meifist."

The general that looked as if he came from hell brandished the black sword

"Battle. The two Despair From the Dark attacks both Marauding Captain and Gearfried the Swordsmaster. Fall."

The shadows from behind the Grand Master surrounded the two knights and swallowed them up in darkness.

"Meifist attacks you directly."

The general poised its sword forward and stabbed Marcus, causing him to double over.

"I set one card and end my turn. Marcus, how disappointing."

Marcus' one good eye flared at that very moment.

"I will not lose. Draw!"

 **Life Point Counter:**

 **Marcus: 1000**

 **Grand Master: 4000**

 **Turn 3 and 4**

The card he drew made his hand two cards. He played one of them with a triumphant roar.

"I activate Dark Hole, destroying all monsters on the field!"

A black hole appeared between the both of them that swallowed the shadows and Meifist, sucking them down to the hell from which they came.

"I then use Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards."

He draws two and plays one immediately.

"I set one card, and if Gaia the Swift Knight is the only card in my hand, I can summon it without tributing!"

The horsed knight leered at the Grand Master.

"I activate the spell card I set, Monster Reborn! Rise once more Despair from the Dark!"

The shadow surrounded Marcus now.

"Attack directly, both of you!"

The Grand Master shook his head.

"Trap card, open, Ring of Destruction. I destroy one monster and inflict damage equal to that monsters attack to both of use. Die, Swift Knight."

The collar with explosives clamped itself onto Gaia's neck and exploded, reducing Marcus' life points to zero.

 **Life Point Counter:**

 **Grand Master: 1700**

 **Marcus: 0**

 **Winner: Grand Master.**

"You are getting rusty, Marcus. Perhaps this tournament will also do you some good. Go on. Do your mission."

Marcus just sat on the floor and stared at his cards.

 **Author's Note: Tadaa! I really hated that Mokuba had next to no screen time in the DM era, so I put him here instead of Yugi. For reference, he used Starter Deck Kaiba as his deck. Also, next chapters will roll on a bit faster so stay tuned-**

 ***Kaiba enters the room***

 **Kaiba: Make me a main character!**

 **What the fuck Kaiba?! This is against the rules of fiction.**

 **Kaiba: Screw the rules, I have money!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5: Yami no Games**

 **Disclaimer: Screw the rules, I'm Seto Kaiba. The only thing money can't buy is bullshit protagonist powers. Also, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any rule 34 about it. Hehe… Also, a bit of graphic gore down below. I know, a bit early but…**

 **Location: Domino City**

May and Drake had finished packing up most of their essentials. The girl was still checking her deck, along side a small stack of cards from the famed Solomon Muto game shop. She said she was still fine tuning her deck, she said, so Drake was now walking the streets alone.

"There's no one here to duel? There's still one day before we need to find the Transport but man, it's deserted here."

Domino City was strangely sleepy. There was little to no activity on the streets and even the square was empty save for a few people passing by. Drake scratched his head. Even two days into the city, this was completely new to him.

"Where is everyone?"

His duel disk suddenly whirred to life. He looked at the machine, then behind him, but there was nobody there. His vision began to blur, and it felt like his surroundings were being distorted.

"Care for a little game?"

He heard a shrill voice, but he couldn't locate it, partly because it came from everywhere, seeming to echoed from every direction.

"Where are you?" He could feel himself getting scared. His knees weakened, and he could feel his heart beat fast. The blood pounded on his ears.

"Names aren't important. However, this girl must be…"

May's face suddenly appeared overhead. The view zoomed out and he saw her struggling as she was tied up in a chair, her mouth covered by tape. Her eyes were in a state of mass panic, and tears slowly streamed from her face.

"May!"

"Let's make a bet. I bet this girl."

"Let her go!" He was more terrified than ever, but now the stakes have changed.

"Make your bet. Or the girl… dies…"

The view changed, and now three circular saws were pointed at May, one in front of her face, one horizontal to her body, one horizontal to her legs.

"Ok, ok, um… How about my whole deck?"

The voice laughed. "You must ante an amount of equal value."

"T-Then me. I bet me!"

"E~xcellent. Prepare for a taste of the Shadow Games!"

" **DUEL"**

Yugi Muto suddenly stopped in his tracks as they were en route to the Kaiba Corp. Transport. The Millennium Puzzle started to glow, confusing his friends.

"W'ats happening, Yug?" Joey asked.

"I don't know but something's terribly wrong."

He heard a voice from within himself.

"Yugi."

He recognized the voice immediately. "Atem! What are you doing here? I thought you were in the spirit world!"

"Yugi, someone has once again unleashed the Shadow Realm."

"What? How?"

"I do not know myself, but as pharaoh, I must see to it sealed again. Will you let me use your body?"

"Just like old times, huh?" Yugi smiled, and, although he couldn't see Atem, he knew he smiled too.

"Just like old times."

The Millennium Puzzle's glow faded and Atem opened his eyes in Yugi's body. The group stared at him, confused at what just happened. Atem scratched his head, and began to explain.

 **Life Point Counter:**

 **?: 4000**

 **Drake: 4000**

"I forget to mention. As your life points drop, the saws get closer to her."

"No!"

The voice laughed maniacally. "My turn. Draw."

"I activate Card Destruction. We discard our entire hands and draw the same amount. Next, I activate Devil's Sanctuary, special Summoning a Metal Devil Token."

The small metal effigy arrived in smoke.

"I release the Metal Devil Token and summon Summoned Skull."

The devilish skeleton appeared in front of Drake. It was larger than him, and it's bulk imposed on him. What was weirder to him was that he could physically feel the monster's presence.

'It should just be a hologram, but why do I feel like… it's here in reality?' he thought.

"I place two cards face down and end my turn." The voice's laugh echoed again, chilling the boy to his bone. Suddenly, the air began to feel colder.

"My turn. Draw!" he looked at his hand.

"I activate Pot of Greed! I draw two cards. Then I activate Watapon's effect, if this monster is added to my hand via a magic card, I can special summon it."

The small, blue fuzz appeared in the field.

"Then I discard one card to special summon The Tricky in attack position."

The masked clown with a question mark on his face appeared beside Watapon.

"The card I discarded was White Stone of Legend. It allows me to draw a Blue Eyes White Dragon from my deck. I release both of my monsters to summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

The towering dragon flew into the field with a thunderous roar. When it landed, the earth shook like an earthquake had happened. The voice laughed again.

"All that work for nothing. Trap Card, Trap Hole."

A large hole appeared below the Blue-Eyes, sucking it in.

"Damn.. I set two cards face down and end my turn."

 **Life Point Counter:**

 **?: 4000**

 **Drake: 4000**

 **Turn 3 and 4**

"My turn, draw. I summon Trance Archfiend in attack position."

The goblin-like creature roosted atop Summoned Skull.

"Summoned Skull attacks."

The imposing skeleton giant started to walk towards Drake. With each step, the ground shook, and when the monster had it's claw poised to strike, the boy's mind suddenly whirred it's survival instinct. He sidestepped, and the claw crushed the ground where he was just on.

"W-what?! The hell?!"

The view showed May screaming through the gag as the saws came slightly closer to her.

"May!"

"Losing life points pulls the saws closer to her. Wasn't that clear?"

"No it wasn't clear! Where are you?! Show yourself!"

"Shadows do not show themselves in the dark. Trance Archfiend attacks."

The goblin monster swiped at Drake, grazing his shoulder as he smashed it with his duel disk.

"Trap Card, open! Enchanted Javelin!"

His hand grasped the Mystical weapon and blocked Trance Archfiend's onslaughts.

"How amusing. Your turn."

Atem and Joey were in their way to Domino City Square, while Mai and Tristan were off to the motel where May and Drake stayed. Both places were surrounded by an eerie miasma that seemed solid

"So you're Atem now?"

"Yes, Joey, we've been over this."

"Should I still call you Yug or should I call you Atem?"

"Either way is fine."

"So-"

"We're here."

The square was covered in a mist-like barrier that was pitch-black within. Neither Joey nor Atem could even remotely approach it. Atem was especially baffled at this, as even the Millennium Puzzle's power was not enough to break it.

"What in the…"

He activated his duel disk.

"Mahad, Pharaoh's Servant!"

A man wrapped in gold Egyptian clothes appeared above Atem and started to tear at the barrier, slowly but surely breaking it piece by piece.

The inside of the barrier started to shake as Mahad frantically tried to break through. Drake could feel the tremors as he tried to keep his balance.

"What's happening?!"

"The Pharaoh's soul has been released once more. This was not part of the No matter, you will die here, and she…" The vision became clearer, and focused on May's face. "will join you shortly after."

"Shut up! Draw!"

He checked the card and, even though he could win now, he couldn't feel a small on his face.

"I summon Lord of D."

The summoner with dragon bones as his armor appeared.

"I activate Flute of Summoning Dragon. When Lord of D. is on the field, it allows me to summon two dragon-type monsters from my hand. I summon my Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Luster Dragon!"

The two massive dragons towered beside the holder of the dragon flute.

"Battle! Blue Eyes attacks Summoned Skull, Burst Stream!"

The white breath of the legendary engine of destruction wiped out Summoned Skull, but the monster did not just shatter into glass. It slowly dismantled itself and showed the gruesome anatomy of a human body. When the skull broke, brain matter disintegrated before the entire thing was destroyed.

Drake held his stomach to keep himself from vomiting.

"Luster Dragon destroys Trance Archfiend!"

Luster Dragon showered the goblin monster with sharp gems. Blood slowly oozed out of the wounds as the monster shrieked in pain. Drake didn't know whether to cover his mouth or his ears.

"Stop it!"

"I'm not doing anything, am I?"

"I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards! I set two cards face down and I end my turn."

 **Life Point Counter:**

 **?: 3100**

 **Drake: 1500**

 **Turn 5 and 6**

"My turn. Draw."

Suddenly, all was still, and the air seemed to lower in temperature gradually. Drake checked his surroundings, and wished he had visual confirmation that he _did_ battle, and has been battling, an opponent.

"Hey, it's your turn."

After about five minutes, The voice was quieter, but its intensity was great.

"You have never experienced this before, have you?"

Drake didn't react.

"Being alone in a dark place. Confused. Scared. Horrified. Cold. Blind. You are not even sure I am here, are you?"

He clenched his fist, making his body a little smaller to accommodate the cold. He wanted to know who his opponent was. How he seemed to know his every thought.

"This is the world I lived it. Horrible. Terrible."

The sky was replaced with a scene of bombing planes dropping hydrogen bombs in the vicinity. Smoke and fire filled the place, quickly replacing the cold of the air. Drake crouched down low to get breathable air, but under the smoke, demon-like creatures began to spawn. They had black, wrinkled skin, large, red eyes, and inch-long claws that was attached to their deformed bodies.. Drake's eyes widened at the terrifying monsters.

"My field spell, human Pandemonium."

The scenery went and, and the boy's eyes started to water from the smoke he inhaled and the fear he felt. He couldn't even see how May was with all the smoke. He couldn't hear her scream like he did before because the demons shrieked loud and shrill, filling the air with the sound of dying children.

"Stop it! Please!"

"Only you can stop it. I have been told that you can change the world for the better. Remake it into a world without suffering, and pain."

"I can't do that!"

"You must! The power you have will lead us to salvation!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!' Drake's scream pierced the wails of the demons. His eyes teary from the smoke and the confusion he felt. "I don't know what you're talking about! Why are you showing me all this?! All this horrible things! Why?! Why did you take my best friend?! This isn't a game anymore!"

His voice became raspy as each if his screams echoed through the barrier. The sounds stopped, and the smoke cleared, and a man appeared before Drake. His clothes were ripped, his hair was thin, and his left hand was gone, replaced by a stump. His eyes were filled with rage.

"You have not awakened yet. I see now. It is our job to awaken you. And so we must show you. That is what he wants us to do…"

He then clutched his head and tore into his skull. He let out a horrific shriek of pain.

"Too slow, too slow, too slow too slow too slow tooslowtooslowtooslowtooslowTOOSLOWTOOSLOW!"

He played Pot of Greed, and then another Pot of Greed, and then another Pot of Greed.

"ToO SLoW!"

He used his face down Call of The Haunted, bringing back Summoned Skull. He used Devil's Sanctuary to summon a Metal Devil Token.

"IT's ToO LAtE fOR a SaVIor! The WOrLd NEEDS a God! Consume the soul of this boy and awaken him! ARCHFIEND EMPEROR, THE FIRST LORD OF HORRORS!"

The two monsters on his field melted down into a large mass of blood, skin, meat, and brain matter. The mass slowly formed into a large monster, with multiple mouths dripping with blood, and meat falling from its decaying body. It roar was like the combination of screams of men, women and children.

"Can you feel it?"

Drake fell on his back at the size and horror of the monster. He couldn't take it anymore, and neither could his stomach, so he vomited on the ground beside him.

"Hope…"

The towering monsters looked down on even the Blue-Eyes on the field.

"Fading?"

The shrill laughter pierced Drake's ears.

Tristan and Mai arrived at the Motel, which was also contained in a dark barrier that they couldn't break through. Tristan tried multiple times to ram into it, but each time he hit it, his shoulder cracked a little

"What now?"

"Now, you step back."

Kaiba and Mokuba appeared behind them, Kaiba his usual stoic face and Mokuba silently panicking. Kaiba activated his duel disk and summoned his signature dragon.

"My servant, Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Burst Stream!"

The Blue-Eyes shot its destructive breath at the barrier's boundary, slowly tearing at its exterior.

"Kaiba, I thought you were going ahead!" Tristan shouted.

"Stop shouting. You'll wake the shadow Realm. Just watch as I destroy this barrier faster than the pharaoh!"

Mai rolled her eyes. 'Boys.'

 **Author's Note: Please enjoy! Oh, wait, is it over? Lol, well hope you enjoyed. More to come in later days!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 6: Abandon All Hope**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, if I did, it won't be Vrains, more like 5ds arc 2.**

 **Location: Domino City**

"Can you feel it?"

The man before Drake laughed in his shrill tone, while he dug his nails into his skull, drawing a considerable amount of blood that dripped down his face. The monster on his side of the field was an atrocious sight. Its scent of Carnage, rotting human flesh, dying blood, and its sluggish and decaying body would make anyone vomit. Even Drake's dragons look smaller and intimidated by the massive pile of meat. The throne it sat on was especially large to contain the emperor and its massive, blood stained sword.

"Hope…fading?"

 **Life Point Counter:**

 **?: 3100**

 **Drake: 1500**

The boy looked at his hands. They were shaking, and it felt like the darkness of the barrier was about to consume him. He clenched his fist to keep himself in focus.

"I activate Emperor Archfiend's effect. I can banish a fiend-type monster from my hand or graveyard to destroy one monster you control. I banish Trance Archfiend to destroy your Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Translucent images of the banished monster appeared before the Archfiend Emperor's sword was raised and two big blows landed on the dragon, shattering it like glass.

"In face of overwhelming odds, any human will lose hope. Even the strongest man cannot help but surrender. Emperor Archfiend attacks your Lord of D. Abandon all hope, Ye Who Enter Here… Hopeless Hell Slash!"

Before Emperor Archfiend's sword could come in contact with Lord of D. and Drake, Mahad broke through the barrier overhead, shattering it. Then, his staff shone bright and erased any trace of the horrific monster, and the man schreeched pain as the light pierced his eyes and skin, halfway burning them.

Atem and Joey run to Drake, who was on his knees, tears silently falling down his cheeks. He seemed to be in another world, as he didn't make any movement to run for the cover under Mahad and Atem, neither did he acknowledge that the duo was running to him.

"It would seem we have made a grave mistake…" the man said.

Atem ran to block Drake from anymore onlaught. Emperor Archfiend began to reform again.

"Who are you?!" he asked. "How did you unseal the shadow realm?"

The man seethed with rage. "It was a simple matter, Pharaoh, however, you will not live long enough to hear of it. Again, Emperor Archfiend!"

Atem looked at Drake's field and saw a face down card. He took hold of the boy's duel disk and activated it.

"Reverse card, open! This negates your attack, and redirects it to you!"

"What?!"

"I activate his card, Magic Cylinder!"

Emperor Archfiend's sword released a wave of dark energy that was redirected towards the man, causing him to slam against a building.

"T-Turn," he coughed blood. "End."

Atem shook Drake back into reality. The boy looked up and saw the face of the King of Games. His face was worried. Drake felt his body convulse as he vomited on the ground, but he felt better.

"Do ya feel fine?" Joey asked him.

Drake assessed himself.

"Well, my mouth tastes terrible."

"Yeah, you're alright."

"Can you duel?" Atem offered him a hand.

The boy stood up. Even though his legs were wobbly, he remained standing. He nodded. Atem and Joey went behind him.

"My turn, draw!"

 **Life Point Counter:**

 **?: 100**

 **Drake: 1500**

 **Turn 7 and 8**

Drake looked at the card in his hand.

"I activate Treasure from Heaven. Both players draw cards until they have six in their hand!"

With newly refreshed hands, both of the Duelists were depending on whether Drake drew the cards he needed. He smiled.

"I activate Flute of Summoning Dragon!"

Two Blue Eyes' entered the field.

"By sending both Blue Eyes' to the graveyard, I can special summon it's more powerful form."

The man grit his teeth. Then smiled grimly.

"You will lose hope."

"Blue Eyes Twin Burst Dragon!"

The Blue Eyes fused on the field to create a two headed monster that had comparable size even to Emperor Archfiend's.

"Blue Eyes Twin Burst Dragon cannot be destroyed by battle, and it can attack you twice. Twin Burst Stream!"

As the blast neared his opponent, the mysterious man disappeared, leaving only a Locator Card.

 **Life Point Counter:**

 **?: 0**

 **Drake: 1500**

 **Winner: Drake**

Drake walks over to his opponent's side and picks up the card. His face contorts in horror as under the card was a message written in blood. Atem and Joey both join him and their eyes met.

 _Humanity must end_

Kaiba also broke through the dark barrier surrounding the motel. His Blue Eyes White Dragon looked menacingly to other people, but Kaiba couldn't help but smile in pride.

"Wait, Kaiba, you actually believe this is real? Not just a mind-trick?"

"Shut up Tristan." He said condescendingly. "How could I deny the fact that I rode on the hide of a Blue Eyes White Dragon, and seen its power first-hand?"

"I don't know, you seemed completely skeptic about Ishizu then."

Kaiba pretended to not hear Tristan and ran up to the room where May was. He kicked down the door and summoned Lord of D. The dragon spell caster used its bone armor to destroy the saws that approached the girl.

Mai untied May from her seat and tore off the gag over her mouth, and the first words out of her mouth were…

"Where's Drake?!"

She grabbed her duel disk.

"Where is he?!" she asked more sternly. Mai looked at her.

"Yugi and Joey has him."

Without warning, May bolted out of the apartment to search for her friend. Kaiba stood with Mai and Tristan in the small room with his arms crossed.

"Not even a thank you?"

May ran to the square where Drake was, and they embraced each other tightly, as if they haven't seen each other in years. However, the heartwarming reunion was followed by a loud, reverberating slap from May.

"What! Were! You! Thinking! Going! Out! Without! Me!"

Each word was accompanied by a punch to Drake's shoulder, which became increasingly numb.

"Hey, owe, stop ok? all that matters is…" he showed her the clear Locator Card.

The next punch hit him square in the face, with the full force of her duel disk behind it. He fell down on the floor, knocked out.

Mai, Tristan, and Kaiba arrived just in time to see and hear the loud cracking sound when May's fist came in contact with Drake's face.

"Youch!" Joey exclaimed.

"That's what you call tough love."

Kaiba approached Atem. "We meet again, pharaoh."

"Kaiba."

They stared at each other for a while, before Kaiba turned his back on him.

"Make sure to stay until the tournament is over. I _will_ beat you. But first, I have to see who is messing with my stuff."

"Of course, a rival is still a rival." Atem switched back to Yugi.

"Thank you everyone for helping us."

"No problem." Yugi replied. "But do you have an idea why that man would target the two of you? Him specifically?"

May shook her head. "No clue. We entered this tournament because we wanted to. I don't have anyone against me, and neither does Drake."

"Are you sure?" this time, it was Mai. "That man was incredibly dangerous. People die in shadow games."

"Yes. We don't why he would do that to us."

"Either way, we need to keep an eye on you two." Yugi suggested.

"I can go with them." Mokuba raised his hand. "I can contact Seto when things happen again."

"Are you sure?"

Mokuba nodded.

"That settles it." Joey announced.

May and Mokuba looked at each other for a while before shaking hands.

"We'll stay behind." Atem said in Yugi's ear. "That man, whoever and whatever he is, is not dead yet."

Soon after, a Kaiba Corp helicopter swooped down on the group. A ladder was thrown to them. Mokuba climbed on and beckoned May to follow suit. She kicked Drake to wake him up.

"Ow… My head and my stomach hurts! Damn it May!"

"Serves you right, now get on the helicopter."

 **Location: Unknown**

Marcus helped the man up. He was barely alive. Breathing very erratically, his body could fall apart at any moment. Marcus helped him lean on an alley wall.

"I… failed."

"You did well."

"No. I failed. I… got too carried away."

Marcus knew this man from a long time ago. He was an old friend. However, they both took different paths. Marcus fell into despair, yet the man fought back the sadness, and strived for a better future.

Alas, he fell deeper into the world's despair.

He saw many deaths. Many by his own hands. Many by reasons he did not understand until it was too late. Fed with lies, he thought he fought to create a beautiful world where no one would cry anymore.

Tears fell on his face.

"I… wanted to awaken the God… as soon as-" he screamed in pain. "P-possible. I wanted the ideal world… I've sought for so long…"

"Old friend. You must rest. I'm sorry for putting you through this."

Marcus felt the man's hand on his wrist, and cards hit his palm.

"I've shown that boy what I saw as hopelessness… I imagine he couldn't understand yet. That's why I failed. That's why… Marcus…"

"Yes?"

"Show him… You, show him. Why the world needs to change."

Slowly, the man's eyes closed, tears on his cheeks. His hand went limp, and even though Marcus held the cards, two cards still fell from his grasp. A worn out card. He recognized it immediately. It was… Despair from the Dark and… Cannon Soldier.

"Rest now. My friend. We will change the world. I guarantee you that."

Marcus buried him somewhere no one would ever see him. His grave saying his name, and the words Marcus left on them. One card as it's marker. If someone were to ever see it, it would have a copy of "Cannon Soldier" on it. Weary from age.

His name read "Michael Hans", and underneath, it read "A friend, who wished for a smile, but I never could give it to him. A soldier, who wanted peace, yet held a gun at every point. A man, who wanted change."


End file.
